56 F
Fremont
December 21, 2024

05-02-23 Failure, prelude to success

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“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”

Thomas A. Edison

 

A major lesson learned by many in all walks of life is that when an attempt to accomplish a goal ends in failure, it may also signal an opportunity to learn from mistakes and try a different, more successful approach. Science and social experiments often follow a hypothesis, or educated guess in an organized manner to determine the validity of the reasoning behind it. In the business world, many successful entrepreneurs do not achieve their goals on the first try. What often happens in both cases, is persistence and an honest appraisal of flaws and incorrect assumptions leads to a refined approach and corrections to avoid previous errors. Some of the most successful business people such as Jack Ma and Jeff Bezos have credited previous failures for their eventual stellar accomplishments.

When applied to multi-level organizations, this process becomes more complex. Some in management view failure as threatening to their position and either shift or dodge any appearance of culpability. The larger an organization, the more difficult it is to avoid the blame game. Climbing a corporate ladder can be treacherous, filled with the pitfalls of economic vagaries that affect profitability and, by extension, security. It is often difficult to separate incompetence from circumstances that result in an avalanche of less-than-desirable results.

The difference between scientific advancement and organizational profitability is that science does not fear failure, rather expects it as a process to reach an ultimate goal. An example is the recent failure of SpaceX rocket after a successful liftoff. How can a massive and expensive failure be characterized as a success by Elon Musk? From the information gained through the experience and data that will help technicians avoid the problems in the future. This is how failures throughout ambitious space programs and resulting technological advances have come to be. If incompetence is uncovered, it needs to be eliminated, but attention to inherent problems can sharpen efforts that provide a new set of facts of immense value.

While some organizations such as government have more mundane goals and responsibilities, their impact, especially at the local level, are fundamental to the health, welfare and general well-being of residents. This does not, however, exempt cities and counties from risk and the need to attempt different approaches when met with failure or poor results. The best response, both in public and private discussions is the same open and frank debate of the merits and flaws that led to a positive or negative result. Often, pilot projects that do not offer a desired result are simply abandoned rather than critically reviewed for further applications. Some languish in obscurity unless revived by inquisitive public scrutiny. What happened Fremont’s “last mile” initiatives? HOPR bike share program?

In contrast, Fremont’s Homekey application that was initially unsuccessful has been studied, modified and is back for another attempt for state funding. Hopefully, problems of the initial proposal have been ironed out and resident opposition taken into account to bolster a smooth process. Failure in this case may lead to a strong community support from all sectors.

 

“I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again. That is why I succeed.”

-Michael Jordan

 

 

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